Restoring to the use of ACV's, namely a vehicle that is endowed with shielding for proper combat operations or as support in battles circumstances, is well known.
A common tracked ACV is an ACV that comprises a suspension system for tracks, for example—tanks, armored troops carriers, and self propelled guns and even heavy mechanical-engineering equipment, such as bulldozers and excavators.
A familiar and known threat that is dangerous to all ACV's including tracked ACV's with a suspension system, is the threat imposed by armament equipped with a warhead of the hollow or “shaped” type, or as known in another jargon common in this field, namely HEAT (High Explosive Anti Tank).
Armament equipped with a “hollow charge” type of warhead, includes a shaped formed explosives that from the instant of its detonation, exploits the Munroe effect. The Munroe effect describes partial focusing of blast energy caused by a hollow or void cut into a piece of explosive, and as said is exploited by the shaped or hollow charge. Explosive energy is released directly away from (i.e. normal to) the surface of the explosive so shaping the explosive would concentrate the explosive energy in the void. In consequence, a blazing (red-hot) jet of enormous velocity is generated, that is made of molten metal (that was melted by it unto a super elastic state). The molten metal is akin to a specific state of aggregation of the metal from which a thin shaped liner is composed, a liner that is positioned attached to the explosive. This jet is capable to pierce (and perforate) armor of rather considerable thickness and penetrate through it, up to six to ten times the diameter of the hollow charge.
It is important to note that warheads equipped with said hollow charges posses a Stand Off distance (“focusing” distance) that is defined by the manner they are shaped. Detonating the hollow charge not at the optimal distance required for its convergence into a piercing jet as explained, might disrupt and detract from the efficiency of the charge.
Therefore, already in the days of the Second World War, use was initiated of an add-on armor means to the ACV's. The idea was to implement mechanical devices—inert ones, for achieving early detonation and hence not optimal, of the hollow warheads.
These devices are known in their descriptive names, such as “bazooka plates”, “side skirts”, “fender skirts”, “apron armor”. We are talking about mechanical devices as said, inert ones, for example thin steel plates, nets, chains, grilles and the like, that serve as a buffer between the wall of the ACV to the flying warhead threat, and cause its early detonation at a distance, in a manner that reduces its penetration capability performance.
As time passed, in the early seventies of the preceding century, an additional add-on armor means has been developed, known as the “reactive armor”. This is based on “tiles” of explosives “sandwiched” between two flat armor sheets that are obliquity installed on the outer walls of the ACV and at a certain distance away from it. Such an “explosives sandwich” reacts upon impacting by the flying warhead—it explodes upon being hit by the flying warhead, wherein while the explosion occurs, it pushes one of the obliquity positioned flat armor sheets, to fly towards the penetrating jet's path that was simultaneously formed by the detonation of the warhead's hollow charge (that was also detonated upon impact on the explosive “tile”). The flat armor sheet, from the instant of its flight towards the penetrating jet formed by the hollow charge, forced the jet to cope, on its way to the external surface of the wall of the ACV which it is supposed (intended) to penetrate, with more and more material, and thus its efficiency is significantly reduced.
Some several years later, development of one more add-on type of armor has already started—the “active armor”. These are integrated systems that include sensing means for detecting the warhead approaching the ACV (for example, armament equipped with a hollow charge at its warhead, or long hard metal penetrators of an anti tanks shell), and an array of charges (for example—an array of fragmentation charges, blasts charges, strikers or cutting charges), that are activated with accurate timing against the detected approaching threat and designed for active attack and eventually distraction of the approaching warhead or penetrator.
Traditionally and along the years, the tracked ACV's suspension system area was protected—if at all, by an additional armor means of the inert mechanical type, for example—by an additional protection known as “Bazooka Plates”, namely—metallic pallets that were installed alongside the tracked ACV's suspension system. The already existing gap between the main body of the tracked ACV to the outer edge of its track (where the “Bazooka plate” has been hanged), and the fact that in any case, in there, the heavy wheels of the ACV's track are found, did as if ensured the disruption of the optimal detonation “Stand Off” distance of the approaching hollow charge type warhead and even posted at times, in front of the penetrating jet, rigid and hard obstacles to overcome (the tracked ACV's suspension system components that served as an additional barrier if they encounter the path route of the penetrating jet).
A dominant factor is that the region of tracked ACV's suspension system is exposed to the difficult conditions of the route followed by the ACV. Any professional in the automotive discipline would understand that hanging the add-on armor plates (e.g.—“Bazooka plate”) alongside the tracked ACV's suspension system exposes the add-on armor means to vibrations and shocks. The tracked ACV's suspension system region and the add-on armor means hanged along are also exposed to frequent crashes with the ground and bumping into trees, bushes, stones, rocks and the like. The movements of the track might also throw mud, stones and small rocks into the gap between the added armor means and the tracked ACV's suspension system, in a manner so that it accumulates there and exert loads on the add-on armor means even as hard as bending it or plucking it away, causing detachment of the add-on armor means from the suspension on which it was suspended. Needless to say that more than just exposing the region of the tracked ACV's suspension system, as it happens from the instant that the add-on armor means was plucked away and detached, it is also to be remembered that the add-on armor means that was plucked away and detached—hence fell to the ground and left in the battle arena, might fall in the hands of the enemy and expose its secrets.
Hence, in recent years, in the tracked ACV's suspension system region, add-on armor means (e.g.—inert “Bazooka plates”) were positioned on a damping suspension that included several elongated leaf springs that were positioned along the length and parallel to the tracked ACV's suspension system, to serve the task of damping vibrations and shocks unto which the add-on armor means is exposed. The elongated leaf springs enabled a certain degree of swinging, or—in other words—rocking movement of the add-on armor means relative to the tracked ACV's suspension system, and detachment of the lower end of the add-on armor means from the tracked ACV's suspension system in a manner that reduces the influence of impinging (hitting) the trees, bushes, stones, rocks and their likes and would reduce the danger of locking up mud and stones between the add-on armor means and the tracked ACV's suspension system.
During routine security measures of the USA armed forces in Iraq or of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) in the Gaza strip, in the course of the last several (recent) years, it became clear, that a tracked ACV might be exposed to a threat of attacks by roadside charges that are activated against it from a relatively short distance (for example—from a sidewalk wherein the ACV moves on the adjacent road along that sidewalk). These charges might be of the kind known as EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator/Projectile). EFP is a charge formed as said—namely having essentially a dome like structure (shape) (in contra distinction to the conic shape that characterizes a “classic” hollow charge), that upon being detonated, forms and forges within the explosion occurrence—a metal penetrator (in contra distinction to the “red-hot” plasma jet that is generated by the “classic” hollow charge, as we have pointed above). A metal penetrator that forges, as said by the explosion, and as a result of the explosion is hurled in high velocity flight towards the ACV that traverses nearby, in many occasions—towards the inert “Bazooka Plates” that is meant to protect the tracked ACV's suspension system region, while hanging, for example, on the elongated leaf springs as we have explained above.
It has been found that against a penetrator that was generated and forged by the detonation of an EFP charge as said, it is not sufficient to implement solely an add-on armor means of the mechanical-inert type, but rather to disrupt the penetrator's flight by using additional and more advanced add-on armor means (for example—by an added armor means of the reactive or active types).
Concurrently, it was also found that the elongated leaf springs would not be fit or adequate to serve as damping means of the required heavier add-on armor means. The limitations inhibiting the use (for this purpose) of the leaf springs, arise from—                The inability of the leaf springs to carry the added weight of the required more advanced add-on armor means. The configuration of said leaf springs as such, limits their dynamic movement upwards-downwards, encountering a state of closing the gaps between the leaves from the instant an overload state developed while losing their damping capabilities; and—        The excess sensitivity of the more advanced add-on armor means to vibrations and shocks (for example—the relatively high sensitivity of the explosives used as an integral part of the reactive and active add-on armor means). While on the other end, the leaf springs as such, are relatively rigid and limited in their capability to convert multi-directional twists unto a rather uni-directional smooth swinging movement, a movement that from the dynamic point of view, occurs in the leaf springs while going over between extreme states (e.g.—up-down), in a manner such that it strongly hurls the add-on armor means that is coupled to the leaf springs and causes it to sustain additional and superfluous shocks.        The absence of a mechanism that would be able to be integrated with the elongated springs structure and that would enable easy shifting of the added armor means (that now, as said, must inherently be heavier) from its place—in order to enable a convenient access to the tracked ACV's suspension system region as is required in order to execute required service of the system (for example—servicing the ACV's track).        
Thus, in the eve of the evolving of invention, which is the subject matter of the patent application submitted herein, as for the field of systems providing add-on armor means to ACV's, there actually existed a true need for an improved damping suspension that—    a. Would enable damping vibrations and shocks, unto which a relative heavy add-on armor means of the type, highly sensitive by its design to such vibrations and shocks (as for example—the aforementioned reactive or active armor), will be subjected from the instant it is installed on the tracked ACV's flanks (sides), in order to protect the tracked ACV's suspension system's region.    b. Would impart to the add-on armor means with a multi directional, continuously swinging capability which will be relative smooth, in a manner that it would protect the armor means from the mishaps of the roads and would prevent the accumulation and locking up of mud, dirt and stones between it and the ACV's side wall.    c. Would be of a relatively rigid construction so that it would enable to reliably secure the add-on armor means—to prevent it from being plucked away and detached from its place and thus (if not achieved) would expose the ACV and even to the danger of the detached armor falling in the hands of the enemy who might divulge its secrets.    d. Its installation should be easy and swift, should not require superfluous structural (or complicated) changes in the ACV carrying it and will not leave openings through which the approaching arms might penetrate, namely—it should cover well a maximum area using the add-on armor means.    e. would include a mechanism that would enable shifting the added armor means at ease from its place in order to enable a convenient access to the tracked ACV's suspension system region as is required in order to execute required service of the system (for example—servicing the ACV's track).